The UCSD women’s basketball team improved its overall record to 6-3 over winter break, with a 2-0 record in California Collegiate Athletic Association league play. On Dec. 3, the Tritons played Cal State Bakersfield at RIMAC Arena to kick off CCAA league action, with the Tritons topping the Roadrunners, 73-59.
Leading scorers included sophomore guard Leora Juster with 16 points and junior guard Andrea Herold with 11 points. Senior center Margaret Johnson posted 10 points and 13 rebounds.
On Dec. 4, the Tritons competed in their second game in CCAA play against Cal State Los Angeles in RIMAC Arena, beating the Golden Eagles by 20 points with a 78-58 final score. The Tritons were successful offensively and defensively throughout the match.
The Triton offense soared against Cal State Los Angeles, with five players posting double digits. Johnson had a stellar performance, posting 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Sophomore guard Kim Buffum also executed strongly, tallying 14 points, 12 of which came on three-pointers. Juster had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists, while senior center Stacey Gallagher-Bolton managed 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Karina Siam also added 11 points.
UCSD only allowed eight turnovers in the game, compared to the Golden Eagles’ 17. The Tritons also managed eight steals and four blocks in the game, dominating on both defense and offense.
UCSD returned to action on Dec. 17 at the Golden Gymnasium in Point Loma, Calif., to take on crosstown rival Point Loma Nazarene University, which is ranked fourth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The undefeated Sea Lions (9-0) triumphed over the Tritons, 89-81.
Despite out-rebounding their opponents 57-39, the Tritons could not convert in field goals, with a season low in shooting. UCSD maintained a 34-percent average in field goals, and trailed behind the Sea Lions in long-distance shooting, with UCSD going eight of 22 and Point Loma making eight of 13 three-point attempts.
Senior forward Katie McGann led the Tritons in shooting with 17 points. Juster followed with 16 points, and sophomore forward Hillary Hansen added 13 points. Seniors Johnson and Gallagher-Bolton both aided the Triton offense, with Johnson recording 10 points and 12 rebounds and Gallagher-Bolton contributing 10 rebounds, four points and three assists.
UCSD returned the next evening to RIMAC Arena to challenge Western New Mexico. The Tritons prevailed through a very strong second-half effort to beat the Mustangs (4-6) by a score of 92-66, improving their record to 5-2 overall and 3-0 at home.
The Tritons only led by two points at halftime, 35-33, but came through with a solid performance in the second half, improving from a 34-percent field-goal average to 54 percent. The Tritons also had strong efforts from the free-throw line, completing 20 of 24 free throws attempted, compared to the Mustangs, who only completed nine of their 13 foul shots.
Leading scorers included Juster, who had a career high of 25 points in the game. Johnson completed 13 points and had 10 rebounds, while Buffum had 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Hansen and junior guard Herold both posted 12 points.
Johnson and Gallagher-Bolton have led the Tritons through strong offensive play throughout their time at UCSD. Johnson averages roughly 15 points and eight rebounds per game. She is also 11th in UCSD scoring history with 838 points, and fifth in rebounds with 675. Johnson is well on her way to becoming the second UCSD player to break 1,000 in both points and rebounds.
Gallagher-Bolton leads the team in two categories. She is tied with Johnson for rebounds, averaging around eight per game, but also leads the team in assists, averaging 3.8 per game, a rare achievement for her position as a center.
During winter break, UCSD hosted the Triton Invitational held at RIMAC Arena on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30. Competing teams included Cal State Bernardino, St. Cloud State and Western New Mexico.
In Game 1, St. Cloud beat Cal State San Bernardino 62-37. UCSD and Western New Mexico battled in the tournament’s second game as the Mustangs fell once again to the Tritons. This game was the 400th career win for UCSD head coach Judy Malone, one of 15 Division II coaches to achieve this honor.
The Tritons led at the half, aided by a strong free-throw average of 86 percent, compared to the Mustangs’ 50 percent. The Tritons were able to cling to their first half success as they trailed the Mustangs in the second, making only three of their nine attempts while the Mustangs completed nine of 10. However, the Tritons converted strongly from three-point range, which eventually made the difference in the game. UCSD completed seven of 12 while the Mustangs only converted one of 11 attempts.
Juster led the scoring for the Tritons with 19 points, followed by Johnson who had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Gallagher-Bolton posted eight points and 11 boards, Siam tallied 11 and Buffum made 14.
After their first win, the Tritons went on to play against St. Cloud State on Dec. 30 in the championship game. The Tritons narrowly lost to the Huskies with a final score of 72-56.
Juster and Johnson both made the all-tournament team, and posted 17 and 13 points, respectively, in the game. UCSD averaged 32 percent in field goals and completed only five of 10 free-throw opportunities. St. Cloud averaged 43 percent in field goals and made seven of 10 foul shots.
In the consolation match played earlier in the evening, Cal State Bernardino beat Western New Mexico, 68-54. All-tournament player Sequoia Williams of Cal State San Bernardino led the Coyotes with 17 points and nine rebounds in the match.
UCSD will travel to Turlock, Calif., on Jan. 7 to take on Cal State Stanislaus and will then travel to Chico, Calif., to play Chico State the following day. Both games are slated for 5:30 p.m. starts.
